GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I'm in the market for a car and like the Vibe. I drive a lot of mountain highways and spend way too much on gas. The Vibe seems to have everything I want, but I don't think the base model accellerates to my needs (I like to be first) and the GT and s/c both take premium gas (some small towns don't have premium plus I am cheap). What modifications can I use on a base vibe to improve my accelleration without needing to use higher octane.signedCheap heavy-footed Hockey Mom

Cold Air Intake and performance exhaust from the cat back (Borla or Magna flow)Other members here can probably point out some threads. I have the base Vibe with the CAI (Cold Air Intake) and it has some impressive (not a racer by any means) take off power

Welcome to the site and I agree with Silver. The Cold Air Intake and free flowing exhaust on a base Vibe will give it a little more oomph, but won't cure your need for acceleration. Those modifications still don't bring up the horsepower to near the levels of a GT or S/C. As of yet, there is still no magic little pill to drop in the gas tank to turn the Vibe into a mighty mite. I completely understand your itch for acceleration, that's why I got the GT. But I can see that it would be impractical for your needs. If your need for power is that strong and you are limited by the constraints you mentioned, I hate to say it but I think that you would probably be best served by choosing a different car.

i dont think she will find a better car myself, the base vibe with those mods actually can keep up with a GT, and in all reality the GT is overkill for the type of vehicle is was meant to be, thats why i love it, but still a base with CAI and exhaust could probbaly outrun a GT in 0-30mph, from what ive heard you can take up to 2 seconds off your 0-60 in a automatic base vibe with only a few simple mods such as CAI and exhaust for sure would get you up there, you wont have the screaming accel at 60-90 like the GT, but you will have great accel for a family car on real life road conditions, unless you wanna pay about another 15k for say a audi a6 running 250hp(which is actually just as fast as they GT in general, slower in 1/4mile) i sereisly think youve got a awesome car, defenetly faster then my taurus

Quote, originally posted by Evanshall »but still a base with CAI and exhaust could probbaly outrun a GT in 0-30mphNever w/o a SC or turbo....never (ok, maybe w/ NOS ). Lift is everything in the GT, you just have to know how to drive at high RPMs Furthermore, the GT is far from overkill. The addition of lift at 6200 RPM's allows one to drive the car like a daily driver UNDER 6200, but when they want an extra boost (literally 50hp), run it up to 6200-8200 and try to keep your shifts within that range for race-car fun! lolAnd Phil, Borla's exhaust is not a cat-back, so Nancy, go Magnaflow all the way if you want REAL gains from an exhaust. It's either MFlow or custom piping + muffler, which will cost as much if not more, and you can install the MFlow yourself

Thanks everyone for your input. I think what I'm going to do is get a 5 speed base vibe and add an Injen CAI and Magnaflow exhaust and maybe down the road, when I get bored, s/c it. I have a question though. When I testdrove the 5 speed, I didn't think the engine noise was very bad - you could still hear the revs just enough to shift smoothly, but you could carry on a conversation and hear the stereo. When I add the intake and exhaust will there be much more noise?

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »And Phil, Borla's exhaust is not a cat-back, so Nancy, go Magnaflow all the way if you want REAL gains from an exhaust. It's either MFlow or custom piping + muffler, which will cost as much if not more, and you can install the MFlow yourself Well I have no educated information Christian since I haven't researched who has what yet. guess now I know eh?Though a S/C Vibe has more torque then the GT...

There will only be a lot higher noise levels under hard acceleration but it is sweet music indeed.

You're never going to get breakneck acceleration AND fuel economy in a small displacement enginewith higher octane and/or forced induction... simply not possible, as there is always a tradeoff. Don't waste your money on parts for a base engine when you could have the better motor (GT) up front. As gas gets more expensive, let's not forget the price of hi-test becomes less significant (because the bas fuel increases in cost with the market, not the octane additive)...!!!Pete

yeah, but they always raise the price of gas across the board. If the low octane regular goes up 10 cents per gallon, then they all go up that much.

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »yeah, but they always raise the price of gas across the board. If the low octane regular goes up 10 cents per gallon, then they all go up that much.That's what I said. So when 87 octane is $1 a gallon, 93 octane is usually $1.20 a gallon, a 20% premium. When 87 octane is $2 a gallon, 93 octane is $2.20 a gallon, only a 10% premium, half the price difference it was at $1/gallon prices... I think we're both saying the same thing, right? I'm just saying as gas goes up, having a more powerful car that requires high octane is not a big deal (especially since you get the benefit of high lift, high compreesion and maybe forced induction! Pete

quote by Evanshall but still a base with CAI and exhaust could probbaly outrun a GT in 0-30mph, from what ive heard you can take up to 2 seconds off your 0-60 in a automatic base vibe with only a few simple mods such as CAI and exhaust for sure would get you up there If ten hp could get you 2 sec. a GT would be 8 sec. quicker to 60 to begin with. That's right a 0 sec. zero to 60 time. Extrapolation and adding up mods can be dangerous. The mods that you're talking about don't even help below 3k and often hurt. You'll never catch the lower gearing of a Gt with N/A add ons to the 1zz but an SC may get you there.

Ahh, thanks for the clarification there Pete. We were both saying the same thing, but I wasn't thinking about what I was saying! How bout that for once! Yes, that's a good point, in a way it just got cheaper to buy premium gas, relatively speaking.

I buy my gas in at a local place where reg and mid grade are the same price and premium is 4 cents more.The problem is it's only 91 octane, When I put in 93 or 94 it makes a world of difference in the top end power.

Whether premium is only a few cents more is not the point. This is not always the case, for example, when gas wars happen, they never affect the price of premium and we are due for some gas wars in Alberta, since Walmart is starting to put in gas bars. Anyway, the fuel economy rating is much lower for the GT. I didn't really like the GT ride anyway. I thought the clutch was a little finicky and it was hard to shift without jerking (although with practice that would be fixed). For my needs, I don't need to spin my tires on take off - I just want a little more oomph when I'm passing at highway speeds than the base vibe gets. Will CAI/cat back get me that without sacrificing fuel economy too much? (I can always do the s/c later when I'm rich and famous) Cheap Heavy Footed Hockey Mom

Quote, originally posted by 03VibeGT6Spd »I buy my gas in at a local place where reg and mid grade are the same price and premium is 4 cents more.The problem is it's only 91 octane, When I put in 93 or 94 it makes a world of difference in the top end power.ive noticed it only in that it seems like a larger jerk forward when you hit boost, when ive filled it with 91(speedway gas) it bearly jerks at all on stock engine, were as with 94 premium which my dad usually fills it with you can very very well feel that youve hit 6200 RPMs,by design the base engine is faster off the line, with the same 180hp in a s/c celica compared to GTS the GT ran 6.2 in 0-60, were as GTS ran 7.3, 1/4miles the GTS was still 15.03, GT with s/c was 14.9, so the lower end power really helps the lower speeds, as well as tighter gearing in the trannyanyways, my point is i think a modifed base vibe will do her

Yep, SC good, but add-ons wouldn't get there. Those #s are great but there's no factory SC available so I'm not sure if it relates. GTSs break 7sec. 0-60 all the time but never a 6.2 and I'm sure the SC would make it easier to do consistantly.

the 1zz is supposed to be better stock then the 2zz anyways in low end accel and power, 1 because of the shorter gearing, 2 because of the more tourqy power band,anyways it was the GT with 1zz that did 6.2 with s/c, using TRD supercharger, which from what i understand by the numbers they gave on PSI and power increase is the same as the one we hav out by GM

The 2zz is geared about 20% shorter if you look at the final and individual gears together. Higher # is shorter and the only reason a gt is quicker down low. A 1zz motor is a little stronger down low but not the 20% it would need to be to keep up. You wouldn't want the 6 spd gearing in a base as you would loose to much time shifting because the redline is also about 20% lower, and you would have to grab 3rd for a 0-60 and 4th in the 1/4. It will be a bit quicker overall but the 1zz powerband doesn't need 6 speeds where the 2zz does if you want to hold lift. What would be interesting is a run from 5 to 50 mph between stock base 1zz and a GT 2zz where the GT shifts at 6200 rpm (no lift) and both motors have 1 shift. I actually think the 2zz would squeak a win but who knows. NancyC, get a GT from your dealer for a weekend and see if you can resist. I was expecting to get a base until I drove a GT. I had to have it.

I read through the replies listed here and found some interesting reading. I guess you can do the mods to get a base model close to the punch of a GT, but I have ask, why? There is no replacing the feel of the lift. The mileage is good enough for me to offset the additional cost of the premium fuel. In my opinion if it isn't a GT...it isn't a Vibe

Quote, originally posted by Phenolic » In my opinion if it isn't a GT...it isn't a Vibeeh, hogwash.

Quote, originally posted by Phenolic »I read through the replies listed here and found some interesting reading. I guess you can do the mods to get a base model close to the punch of a GT, but I have ask, why? There is no replacing the feel of the lift. The mileage is good enough for me to offset the additional cost of the premium fuel. In my opinion if it isn't a GT...it isn't a VibeLast time I checked, there was no GT after my Vibe badges and, sure enough, the dealership recognizes it as a Vibe.

Quote, originally posted by Phenolic »I read through the replies listed here and found some interesting reading. I guess you can do the mods to get a base model close to the punch of a GT, but I have ask, why? There is no replacing the feel of the lift. The mileage is good enough for me to offset the additional cost of the premium fuel. In my opinion if it isn't a GT...it isn't a VibeI drive a Corolla wagon with a Pontiac label. I thought it was a Vibe, but don't really care about the name. I have never really needed more acceleration than the base 5 speed can give. I would like to have the 170 HP of the GT, but I would also like to have the 50+ mpg of the little hybrids or the VW diesels.

Quote, originally posted by Phenolic »I read through the replies listed here and found some interesting reading. I guess you can do the mods to get a base model close to the punch of a GT, but I have ask, why? There is no replacing the feel of the lift. The mileage is good enough for me to offset the additional cost of the premium fuel. In my opinion if it isn't a GT...it isn't a Vibelmao! now that's really really funny. i have a gt. and yes, LIFT is awesome. but i've also ridden in Devlop's turbo'd vibe, and i can say that it would kick your gt's (removed) any day of the week! so to say that with mods added to the base vibe not being a vibe, you are right in this case. his vibe T isn't just a vibe, it's THE vibe! jeff, you know we love you!

To me, what makes a Vibe a Vibe or Matrix is its all around goodness. Yes a GT is more of a different flavor than many expect and no a base can't be a GT with add ons but it's still a true blue and plenty good Vibe.

OK, I'm sure that there are some modded base models that can run really strong...."but i've also ridden in Devlop's turbo'd vibe, and i can say that it would kick your gt's (removed) any day of the week! so to say that with mods added to the base vibe not being a vibe, you are right in this case. his vibe T isn't just a vibe, it's THE vibe!" My point is that you don't need to go to all the effort and expense if you just start out with the GT in the first place. Besides my comment was just a little fun on my part to stir up the hotheads...looks like I got some takers. Overall I love my Vibe(GT) and I'm sure that the folks with the base models feel just the same. Now if anyone still feels like I have offended them, let me know and we can meet out behind the gym after school and settle this like a couple sixth-graders.

sorry, but if you're gonna make some dumb comment about a vibe not being a vibe unless it's a GT, then.... well... not sure who is the school kid here? but yes, i have a vibe GT. and i've done a lot of mods to it. so why should we even do any mods in that case? because it's fun and it makes us feel like our cars are a little more of an expression of ourselves. the vibe/trix is a great combo of function and fun. i considered the base vibe, but then i loved the GT. LIFT is a beautiful thing, but then again, so is BOOST. just depends on what you like. Quote, originally posted by Phenolic » Besides my comment was just a little fun on my part to stir up the hotheads...looks like I got some takers. Overall I love my Vibe(GT) and I'm sure that the folks with the base models feel just the same. Now if anyone still feels like I have offended them, let me know and we can meet out behind the gym after school and settle this like a couple sixth-graders.and i guess i don't understand why you want to stir up people on here? to cause trouble? i hope not.

I thought the comment about it not being a Vibe was funny, but I didn't buy a Vibe to be the fastest car on the road, and although I think the performance mods are interesting, it just isn't that important to me. I bought the vibe to be an economical commuter car.I understand that Devlop's turbo vibe is impressive, but what about faultline? wasn't he the turbo vibe pioneer?So far it sounds like the answers to nancyC's question are that there are some mods to improve performance, and also that those that do pay for premium fuel for their GT or FI'd vibes don't find the the extra fuel cost to be significant

all in all, none of the vibes are very fast cars

not yet anyway lol jp altho you never know, give me about a year to pool together about 10 grand and then you will see a fast Vibe

I run 87 in my PT all the time now. It states Premium Recommended, however in the manual it states you can run lessor grades. Slight drop in performance though. I know for a fact and my Chrysler contacts confirmed it, that engine has enough knock sensors to accomidate the lessor grades and not damage the engine.

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »all in all, none of the vibes are very fast carsWell, technically, no.But I'm damn impressed at how fast this car DOES move.I guarantee you a base model would've outrun that POS intrepid I was driving...

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Well, technically, no.But I'm damn impressed at how fast this car DOES move.I guarantee you a base model would've outrun that POS intrepid I was driving...hey, don't get me wrong, i mean, crap, it's only a 1.8!

Not only that buts its a crossover thing so it is larger (volume wise not neccessarily heavier) than most other cars and we still haul @$$

so what is the word on running 87 in the GT vibe??? and then putting premium in when wanting to DRIVE?

I wouldn't do it. Your mileage will drop from the timing being retarded. Try middle grade and see if you lose gas mileage and if it feels OK. You won't hurt it but you may not be saving as much money as you think. Low RPMs is where the higher octane will give you the greatest sense of gain. Right where you don't want to lose any performance. I use 93 octane only and plan on continuing to do so.

well, here, all i can really get is 90 octane. 92 is only available at chevron stations and only a few at best. so i'm stuck w/ 90. i'm sure that's midgrade for most of you, but here it's premium. so far so good.